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San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition
Breastfeeding Update

July 2nd, 2018

 

All good things begin with breastfeeding,

Kimberly Bianco, IBCLC
Coordinator, SDCBC

Breastfeeding News & Views
Here's what you should know...

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Separating Breastfeeding Babies from Moms Could Affect Health for a
Whole-of-Society

 


My 8-month-old was sick with a cold. We would have been to a local Families Belong Together Nurse-In event if he had been healthy. He demanded to be nursed even more frequently in the days when he had the cold. Maybe he needed something that’s easier to digest, maybe he needed to be comfort. I don’t know.

When nursing him, I thought of those children in the “tender-age” facilities. Who’s going to offer them something easy to digest, or to comfort them? The thoughts haunted me. 

The Trump administration has established at least three “tender-age” facilities where the youngest detainees are being kept. Some are babies, many are younger than 5. Considering that poorer countries have higher breastfeeding rates than countries with high incomes, and mothers tend to breastfeed for longer periods, it’s very possible that many toddlers still rely on breastmilk. In Honduras, for example, 43 percent of 2 year olds are still being breastfed. 

Earlier this month, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras told CNNthat her 4-month-old daughter was taken from her while she was breastfeeding and awaiting prosecution for entering the country illegally. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman disputed the claim. 

While all children who are abruptly separated from their parents face serious long-lasting consequences, breastfed babies, and their mothers, face imminent risks that can only be ameliorated once they are reunited.

Here at San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition (SDCBC), we consider breastfeeding a public health priority. The abrupt removal of breastfeeding infants, toddlers, and children from their mothers has serious health and emotional consequences for all—for the children, the families, and for us as a whole-of-society.

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, an international group of physicians, condemned the Trump administration last week for separating breastfeeding mothers from their babies and urged the government to immediately reunite infants with their mothers to end what could cause particular emotional and physical trauma to this demographic.

“Separating children from their parents results in toxic stress that impacts breastfeeding and health for a lifetime,” Dr. Timothy Tobolic, president of the academy, said in a statement. “Furthermore, separating a mother from her breastfeeding child violates the human rights of both mother and child.” 

Trump signed Executive Order to end Family Immigration Separation on June 20, but hasn't  figured out how it’s going to reunite the more than 2,300 children who were separated from their parents at the U.S-Mexico border under the President’s zero tolerance policy on immigration. It’s a situation that’s developed into “total chaos,” said Carlos Garcia, an immigration attorney working on the issue, to Huffington Post. 

The U.N. Human Rights Council says that infants in emergency settings, such as refugee camps, have the protected right to be breastfed. SDCBC passionately calls on lawmakers to immediately pass legislation to begin rapid reunification of families.  

Read more: Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies

 

  READ MORE BLOGS BY TO-WEN

(Photo Credit: To-wen Tseng)

We Wish You and Your Family a
Happy and Safe Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July from SDCBC!

Breastfeeding-Friendly San Diego is a program of UCSD Center for Community Health in partnership with the County of San Diego HHSA with funding from First 5 San Diego. These activities support Live Well San Diego, the County’s vision of a region that is Building Health, Living Safely, and Thriving.


SDCBC Membership
There is still time to Join or Renew your
San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition
Membership for 2018!
You can visit our website www.breastfeeding.org and join or renew online or simply download, print, fill out and return the membership form (see below) and mail in with your with your payment.

*Membership is based on calendar year Jan 1 - Dec 31
Click HERE to Download 2018 SDCBC Membership Application
Click HERE to Join or Renew your SDCBC Membership ONLINE



Please feel free to email Kimberly Bianco if you have a job opportunity that is appropriate for our readers and you would like us to list here...
Be sure to keep up with all that we are doing by:
  • Attending an SDCBC Board & Advisory Team meeting, social event or mini-seminar,
  • Reading our bi-monthly newsletters (you can sign-up to receive email updates and newsletters on our website!),
  • Visiting our website (www.breastfeeding.org) for San Diego County breastfeeding resources & information and all SDCBC upcoming events,
  • Following us on social media! We are active on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Our mailing address is:
3160 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92108

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San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition · 2907 Shelter Island Dr · Suite 105-476 · San Diego, CA 92106 · USA

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